Untangling the Timeline: Challenges and Opportunities in Supporting Version Control in Modern Computer-Aided Design

TL;DR

This paper systematically reviews user-reported challenges in version control for modern CAD software, highlighting socio-technical issues and proposing directions for improved tools and mechanisms to support collaboration and design management.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive analysis of challenges in CAD version control through forum data, offering insights for designing better support tools and mechanisms.

Findings

Identified recurring socio-technical issues in CAD version control.

Highlighted the need for tools supporting articulation work and cross-boundary collaboration.

Provided actionable insights for CAD software improvement.

Abstract

Version control is critical in mechanical computer-aided design (CAD) to enable traceability, manage product variation, and support collaboration. Yet, its implementation in modern CAD software as an essential information infrastructure for product development remains plagued by issues due to the complexity and interdependence of design data. This paper presents a systematic review of user-reported challenges with version control in modern CAD tools. Analyzing 170 online forum threads, we identify recurring socio-technical issues that span the management, continuity, scope, and distribution of versions. Our findings inform a broader reflection on how version control should be designed and improved for CAD and motivate opportunities for tools and mechanisms that better support articulation work, facilitate cross-boundary collaboration, and operate with infrastructural reflexivity. This study offers actionable insights for CAD software providers and highlights opportunities for researchers to rethink version control.